Recently, from the viewpoint of energy saving or the like, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used as a light source of various lamps. For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle headlamp using an LED as a light source.
In many cases, a plurality of LEDs is used in combination in a lamp. Also in a vehicle headlamp disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of LEDs arranged in parallel is used as a light source. Further, in the vehicle headlamp disclosed in the following Patent Document 1, a lattice-like guide element surrounding each LED is provided in order to control the light distribution of light emitted from the plurality of LEDs arranged in parallel.
As a vehicle headlamp typified by an automotive headlight, in addition to a low-beam light source that illuminates the front at night, one having a high-beam light source or the like that illuminates a distance farther than the low beam mounted thereon is known. The light from the high-beam light source contains light irradiated above the low beam. Further, a vehicle headlamp in which these light sources are provided in one lamp unit is known.
For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle illumination lamp which is provided with a first light emitting element for emitting light upward, a first reflector disposed so as to cover the first light emitting element from above, a second light emitting element for emitting light downward, a second reflector disposed so as to cover the second light emitting element from below, and a projection lens through which light emitted from the first light emitting element and light emitted from the second light emitting element are transmitted.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 5512183
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-164735
In the case where a lattice-like guide element surrounding each of a plurality of light sources is provided as in the vehicle headlamp disclosed in the above Patent Document 1, at least a part of the light emitted from a light source provided on one side of the guide element and directed toward the other side of the guide element is shielded by the guide element. Accordingly, there is a case where a shadow due to the guide element formed between adjacent light sources can be formed in the light distribution formed by the light emitted from a plurality of light sources.